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Adam Neely released a pretty in-depth video recently with the opinion that Hey Joe is straight-forwardly in the key of E, as long as you don't get stuck trying

Adam Neely released a pretty in-depth video recently with the opinion that Hey Joe is straight-forwardly in the key of E, as long as you don't get stuck trying to fit it into a diatonic, traditional Western framework. It's a good watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVvmALPu5TU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVvmALPu5TU I had an unanswered question after the video -- are there listeners who don't feel that sense of "home" when arriving at the E chord? I certainly do feel "at home" on the E, but I'd be curious to hear others' opinions.

lc9er 6y ago
I think context is important. If you are talking about guitar based music, then E is a pretty safe bet as home. But what if a group doesn’t use standard tuning? The first two examples that come to mind are Alice In Chains and Tool. They use E flat tuning and drop-d tuning, respectively (mostly). When I listen to them, Eb and D are home.
- ragona 6y ago
  It feels like home because of the key of the song, not the instrument. Sometimes the guitar is tuned to play a song where the key matches the lowest string, but many songs are of course played in other keys.
- dkdbejwi383 6y ago
  Jimi played in Eb a lot too. Kurt Cobain and SRV too.
  - RHSman2 6y ago
    That’s cos it sounds heavier but the key is relative.
- coldtea 6y ago
  The instrument tuning doesn't change the fact that a song has a key/home. If someone plays it in another key, transposes it etc, it will still have a specific key, just transposed. In this case of course it's about the Jimi Hendrix recorded cover version, not trying to get some key that would hold across all possible versions.
RHSman2 6y ago
I’ve played it a fairly large amount in bands. First time I have heard that it’s in the key of E. Totally makes sense to me especially in the Hendrix version with the semi chromatic bass walk to E.

lc9er 6y ago

I think context is important. If you are talking about guitar based music, then E is a pretty safe bet as home. But what if a group doesn’t use standard tuning? The first two examples that come to mind are Alice In Chains and Tool. They use E flat tuning and drop-d tuning, respectively (mostly). When I listen to them, Eb and D are home.

ragona 6y ago
It feels like home because of the key of the song, not the instrument. Sometimes the guitar is tuned to play a song where the key matches the lowest string, but many songs are of course played in other keys.
dkdbejwi383 6y ago
Jimi played in Eb a lot too. Kurt Cobain and SRV too.
- RHSman2 6y ago
  That’s cos it sounds heavier but the key is relative.
coldtea 6y ago
The instrument tuning doesn't change the fact that a song has a key/home. If someone plays it in another key, transposes it etc, it will still have a specific key, just transposed. In this case of course it's about the Jimi Hendrix recorded cover version, not trying to get some key that would hold across all possible versions.

RHSman2 6y ago

I’ve played it a fairly large amount in bands. First time I have heard that it’s in the key of E. Totally makes sense to me especially in the Hendrix version with the semi chromatic bass walk to E.